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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Who said anything about safe.?...

We have been so blessed to be home these past weeks. Among the most wonderful blessings have been Pastor Mark's sermons. God is working wonders everywhere in those who look to Him. These days in our world that is so focused on filling every emptiness with temporary satiations, it is quite natural to let ourselves carry on much in the same way. We forget to be transformed by the renwewing of our minds... we forget that the truth the world speaks of is hardly the truth at all and yet we fit our lives into this strange modern paradigm. If we could just live fully in each moment aware of Christ we would be both anchored and free... Free from anxieties, free from our "stuff", free to love, free to follow as Christ leads without fear...Anchored to REAL Truth in unwavering faith and confidence in life. We cannot put off God's purpose for each of our lives. If anything is worth doing it is worth doing well and now. We have to stop defining ourselves and our sense of accomplishment by our appearance, wealth, friends, job, our ability to avoid trouble and pain, by how long we can maintain a safe routine...

"Is he—quite safe?"..."Safe?" said Mr. Beaver ... "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

We all have the ups and downs of feeling strong, then not...feeling sure, then not. I think stepping out in faith has both pushed growth and exposed my weakness. I feel both confidence in the calling and a sense of total inadequacy. By far the coolest part is having confidence in He who sends us. Like all of the "heroes of the faith" we are quite inadequate for holy work without the Holy One.

We are getting back into gear as we are in the count down for Ecuador! We are about 10 weeks away from our flight to Quito and I am amazed how busy we have been and still are since being in the US for this short break. Our time home was unplanned but I can see exactly why the Lord has us here for this time. It has been a wonderful blessing to be with our loved ones and help out where we have been needed. That said, our hearts are definitely being tugged all the way down in Ecuador : ) The kids and I have been doing some reading at the library about the sweet people of Ecuador and are just more than eager to be a part of God's work there.

Right now we are getting things ready for our VISA application to Ecuador as missionaries, looking for the things we need to bring down there with us, praying a ton about our team that is also doing the same, as well as taking care of the day to day things here including kindergarten homework (way more than I remember!). Life is full no matter where we are!

For those of you that are within driving distance to Porterville, CA we are hosting an evening at Porterville Church of the Nazarene this Sunday April 7 at 5:30pm to share about our experiences in South America. We will have a presentation with hilights of the ministry, a slide show, some cultural items including "terere y sopa paraguaya" to share as well as discussing what we plan to accomplish as we head into Ecuador. I hope you come if you can squeeze it in! We were blessed to see Christ moving in the world through the body of Christ while we were down there and many of you have been vital parts of the blessings the Lord spread out through the people... come and receive the blessing yourselves. For those of you that are out of the area I will be posting the slide show and possibly the powerpoint so that you can check it out too : )

As we are preparing for the next extended part of this journey we ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers. As full-time volunteers we are in total reliance upon the provision of God through His people to support the ministry in Ecuador. We are still looking for those whom God is calling to be our support as we devote our days to full-time ministry. My hope for you is that if God is indeed calling you to join us that you do so right away and with complete joy so that you may enjoy the blessing that comes from trusting in God's will at each turn. He has called us each to fill a purpose and has equipped us to accomplish it though sometimes we choose to say no. I remember when we were just beginning on this adventure and I kept feeling like I identified more with those that said "no" to God... like Jonah, or Zachariah who was struck dumb when questioning God's plan, even Moses tried to convince God that he was the wrong guy for the job... but we all know that God used these people in crazy amazing ways! In the end they each were compelled by the assurance they could not escape doing God's will, no matter how impossible or ilogical it might seem, is the only sure way to go...maybe not safe...but sure. They are there in the Bible to show us not so much about ourselves but a lot about God. He accomplishes through us, in spite of us. Be used by God!!!! Live to Worship! Join us if you should through prayer, financial support, or come to volunteer! At all costs do what the Lord is asking of you whatever that may be! And come hear about the cool stuff God is up to in Paraguay, Peru and Ecuador through Extreme Nazarene Ministries!